Azzemour

Crabtree & Evelyn were a staple in the British high street when I was a lot younger. I loved all of their products; perfumes, lotions, soap dishes, mugs, tea towels, biscuits - everything that felt quintessentially British - despite the company actually originating in the US! Of all their products, the thing that brought me back time and again was their perfumes. My all time favourite was Summer Hill, and I wrote a review of it on here. This set me on the road to an on/off search for years for the EDP and the legendary Summer Hill room oil (an extremely rare product, seemingly only available, if at all, in the US). Along the way, I discovered an almost complete bottle of Azzemour for sale, and bought it on a whim. Oh gosh, I am so glad I did! This lovely, lovely scent is warm and clingy on my skin, exuding strong base notes of amber, musk and sandalwood that continue to delight and last forever on my clothes as well. A first spray gives off a surprising spritz of green. The Bergamot is powerful, but tempered by the violet with a smell reminiscent of warm, freshly cut grass. On dry down I get a lot of clove and some gardenia, and I don't know whether its the age of the perfume, but there are distinct elements of sour milk lurking underneath it all, just for a brief while, before evolving into a buzzy 'lipsticky' spiciness (not dissimilar to Frederick Malle's "Lipstick Rose") and warm shaved wood - like new pencil shavings - not unpleasant at all. I wouldn't say there's a hell of lot of silage from the skin itself for such a distinct and woody scent - I may be nose blind, but it seems to be more of a strong skin hugger than a scent that radiates widely. I don't think that is a bad thing, I tend to view skin huggers as rather elegant. I love the thought of my clothes or hair smelling amazing for the person who gets close enough. Or leaving the faintest waft of perfumed air behind me as I move past. Some may think its a good unisex scent and I'd have to agree - this could easily be worn by a confident man. Its warm, sexy and mature. I love how it evolves on my skin and lingers on my clothes. I like it so much that I'm now afraid I'll never be able to source another bottle. I hate the thought of having to ration it, and not being able to keep it in my life in future makes me so sad.